The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1887-10-12

Heaven, and the music that Won want TO
hear now is the song Of free graas, and the
music you want TO hear when you die Is
free grace. and forever before the throne
Of God you viii sing Of the
Grace Of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though
be was rich, for your salses became poor
Yes, yes, for our sakasl II was not on
pleasure excursion that he came, for it
was eli pain. II was not on astronomical
exploration, for he knew this world as
well before he aiighted as afterward. II
was not because he was compelled to come,
for he volunteered. It was not because II
was easy, for he knew that It would be
thorn, and spike, and hunger, and thirst,
and vociferation Of angry mobs- For
your sakesi Wipe away your tears. To
forgive your wrong-doing, to companion
ship your loneliness, to sooths your
sorrows, to sit with you by the new
made grave, to bind up your wounds in
the ugly battle with the world and bring
you home at last, kindling up the mists
that fall on your dying vision with the
sunlight of q glorious morn. For your
sake! No, viii change that. Paul will
not care, and Christ will not care II
change It, for must get into the blessed
ness Of the text myself, and so say:
'sFor our sakes" For we all have our
temptations, and bereavements, and con-
f1icts. For our sakesi We who deserve
for our sins to be expatriated into world
as much poorer than this as this earth
was poorer than Heaven. For our sakes
But what fruitful coming down to take
us gIoriously up.
Z When Artaxerxes was hunting, Tire
bazus, who was attending him, showed
the King rent in his garment. The King
said: Elbow shall mend itg" SPY CIV
ing It TO me,r said Tirebazus. Then the
X ing gave him the robe, but commanded
b i'm never to wear it, as It would be map
propriate.
See tho startling and comforting fact
While our Prince throws Off the habit, he
not only allows us to wear it, but COM
mands US to wear it, and it will become Us
well, and for the povertes of our spiritual
state we may put on the splendors of
Heavenly regalement. For our sakesl o,
the personality of this religionl Not
an abstraction, not an arch I'M
der which we walk to behold elaborate
masonary, not an ice castle like that
which Empress Elizabeth of Russia over
hundred years ago ordered constructed,
winter with its trowel of crystal cement
ing the huge blocks that had been quar-
ried from the frozen rivers Of the North;
but fathers house, with a wide hearth
cracking a hearty welcome. A religion
of warmth and inspiration, aud light and
cheer; something we can take into our
hearts, and homes, and business recrea-
tions, and joys and sorrows. Not an
unmanageable gift, like the galley
presented to Ptolemy, which required
four thousand men to row, and its
draught of water was so great that it
could not come near the shore, but some-
thing you can run up any stream of an
noyance, however shallow. EAchantment
now, enrichment for ever
Right about facet for you are going In
the wrong direction. While you are in q
favorable mood for it, enter into life.
that makes for peace and Heaven. Agas-
siz says that he has stood at one place in
the Alps where he could throw a chip into
the water in one direction and it would
roll on into the German Ocean, or he
could throw a !chip into the water in
another direction and it would reach the
Black sea by the Danube, or he could
throw q chip in another direction, and it
would enter the Mediterranean by the
Rhone. How far apart the Mediterranean,
and the Black sea, and the German oceani
Standing to-day on this Alps of Gospel
privilege, you can project your soul into
right currents, and it will roll on into the
ocean Of life, or project it in the wrong
direction, and it will roll into the sea Of
DEATH But how far apart the two dis
tances! May God help. us to appreciate
more and more the momentous meaning Of
our text.
The seven wise men Of Greece were
chiefly known each for one apothegm:
Scion for the saying, sKnow thyself;"
Fernandez for the saying, Nothing is inn
possible to industry Chic for the say
ing, "Consider the end;" Thales for the
saying, "Surety ship is the precursor OF
ruin" ~
And Paul, distinguished for a thousand
utterances, might well afford to be mem
orable for the saying: